Cigarette feeding arrangements



' 1957 v A. SCHMERMUND 3,301,375

CIGARETTE FEEDING ARRANGEMENTS Filed Oct. 2 1. 1964 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVFNT'OR:

ALFRED SCHI'I R UND By: Em; mm

ATTOR my:

Jan. -31; 1967' A. scHME'RMUND 3,301,375

CIGARETTE FEEDING ARRANGEMENTS Filed Oct. 21, l964 s Sheets-Sheet 2 mvsmam ALFRED s'cunsanuua mm 01m Arraausys 1967 A. SCHMERMUND 3,301,375

CIGARETTE FEEDING ARRANGEMENTS Filed Oct. 2 1, 1964 v s Sheets-Sheet s lNvENrom ALFRED ScunERntmD V h w- Q Mo ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,301,375 CIGARETTE FEEDING ARRANGEMENTS Alfred Schmermund, 62 Kornerstrasse, Gevelsberg,

Westphalia, Germany Filed Oct. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 405,529 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Oct. 23, 1963, 41,801/ 63 7 Claims. (Cl. 198--24) The invention relates to cigarette feeding arrangements for cigarette packing or handling machines.

A cigarette feeding arrangement in a cigarette packing or handling machine has been proposed in which a plurality of cigarettes are pushed by a ram having a plurality of fingers, from chutes at the bottom of a cigarette supply hopper, into a guide member, and are thence pushed into and through a distributing device by a pushing member which is movable in a forward direction at one level and in a rearward direction at a lower level. The cigarette block passes from the distributing device into a bridging guide member leading to a movable cell arrangement in which the cigarette block may be tested for completeness or for individual cigarette faults.

The pushing member has a support web which runs in slots in the guide member, distributing device and bridging member. On movement of the pushing member from the upper level to the lower level, the head portion of the pushing member has to pass through an opening in the lower wall of the bridging member. Being of considerably larger size than its supporting web, the head portion needs a much larger transit opening than does the support web and, in order that this larger opening is kept as small in size as possible, the pushing member is brought to rest prior to its movement from the upper level to the lower level and is then moved vertically downwards. This necessity for bringing the pushing member to rest considerably reduces the speed with which the cigarette feeding arrangement would otherwise be able to operate.

It is an object of the invention to provide a cigarette feeding arrangement, wherein a pushing member is arranged so that the length of time at which the pushing member is at rest is zero or is at least considerably reduced as compared with the previously proposed feeding arrangement.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a cigarette feeding arrangement, wherein the pushing member is movable in a closed path without any substantial interruption of movement.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a cigarette feeding arrangement, wherein two pushing members are proivded for acting on two cigarette blocks simultaneously.

It is still another object of the invention to provide such a cigarette feeding arrangement for feeding a plurality of cigarettes directly into a box-like wrapper for cigarettes.

Theseand other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with the acompanying drawings, whichare given by way of example and in which:

FIG. 1 somewhat diagrammatically illustrates a side viewof a first embodiment of the invention and is primarily intended to explain the principle underlying the present invention;

FIG. 2 somewhat diagrammatically illustrates a cam arrangement of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective View of a second embodiment of the invention, some parts being omitted or broken away;

different working position; and

. FIG. 4 shows part of the embodiment of FIG. 3, in a Patented Jan. 31, 1967 'ice FIG. 5 shows part of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 in another different working position.

The cigarette feeding arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a pushing member 11 for pushing groups of cigarettes in block-wise form from a region in the vicinity of a supply .hopper 12 to a cigarette receiving cell 13, which may be a cell of a known turret arrangement in which the cigarette blocks can be tested for completeness and for individual cigarette faults, or which may be a cell-like wrapper, for example, a cardboard box for receiving a group of cigarettes.

Prior to the cell 13, the cigarettes pass first through a positioning device 14 which positions the cigarette block in register with the cell 13, and the through a guide member 15 which bridges a gap between the positioning device 14 and the cell 13.

The pushing member 11 has a head portion 16 which moves through the positioning device 14 and the guide member 15, the head portion 16 being connected by a web portion 17 with a mounting portion 18 which in turn is mounted on a traverse 21 carried by two slides 22 of which only one is visible in FIG. 1. The positioning device 14 and the guide member 15 are each slotted at the bottom so as to enable the web portion 17 to move along the respective slotted bottom. The slides 22 are movably disposed on two guide rods 23, of which only one is visible in FIG. 1 and which are arranged on a pivotally mounted carriage 24, the guide member 15 being carried by the carriage 24 at a region thereof remote from a pivot axis 25 of the carriage 24.

A cam mechanism illustrated in FIG. 2 is provided which has two cams 26 and 27 of opopsite throw, engaged by a pair of roller-ended cam follower arms 31 and 32 rigid with a pair of operating levers 28, of which only one is visible in FIGS. 1 and 2 and which serve for reciporcatingthe slides 22 along the guide rods 23. The cams 26 and 27 may be, but need not be, so shaped as to provide a short dwell at their maximum throw. The operating levers 28 are connected to the slides 22 by pivoted links so that pivotal movement of the carriage 24 is not impeded.

The guide member 15 is mounted on the carriage 24 and is movable thereby between an upper position (shown in FIG. 1) in which it is level with the positioning device 14 and the cigarette receiving cell 13, and a lower position. The carriage 24 is pivotally movable, between a position in which the guide member 15 is at the upper position and a position in which the guide member 15 is at the lower position, by a pull rod 33 which is pivoted at one of its ends to the carriage at 34 and at its other end at 35 to a carriage pivoting lever 36 having two cam follower rollers 37 and 38 which engage two earns 41 and 42 of opposite throw, the lever 36 being pivotable about its fulcrum 43.

The operation of the arrangement of FIGS. 1 and 2 is as follows:

On rotation of the cams 26, 27, 41, 42 the slides 22 are moved to and fro along theguide rods 23 while the operating levers 28 move from the position shown in FIG. 1 in full lines to the position shown at 28' in broken lines. Simultaneously, the carriage 24 is swung downwardly and upwardly by the pull rod 33. The cams 41 and 42 for actuating the carriage 24 are so arranged that the carriage 24 is swung downwardly when the pushing member 11 reaches the end of its cigarette feeding stroke and upwardly shortly before the end of the return stroke of the pushing member 11. Thus, the head portion 16 of the pushing member 11 performs a movement in a closed path indicated in FIG. 1 by broken lines 16, an upper level of which is the cigarette feeding stroke and a lower level of which is the return stroke. Since the guide member 15 moves downward jointly with the pushing member .11 and its head portion 16, and with the carriage 24, the return stroke of the pushing member 11 can begin as soon as the cigarette block has been pushed clear of the guide member 15, the pushing member 11 then being Withdrawn from the guide member 15 during the return stroke.

The cigarette feeding arrangement of FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 is generally similar to that of FIGS. 1 and 2, but the main elements of the arrangement of FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are duplicated for simultaneously feeding two blocks of cigarettes to two carton boxes, and the guide member performs an additional movement as will be described further below. The two parts A and B of the arrangement are substantially identical with one another, although for clarity some elements of part B have not been shown.

Each part A and B of the arrangement of FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 comprises a pushing member 111 and 211 respectively for pushing cigarettes 15.1 and 251 in block-like groups from a region in the vicinity of supply hoppers, of which one is indicated at 112, to carton boxes 113 and 213, the boxes being held in cells 119 of rotatable turrets, one of which is indicated at 152. Before reaching the boxes 113 and 213, the cigarettes 15 1 and 251 pass first through positioning devices 114 and then through a guide member 115 common to both parts A and B. At each end, the guide member 115 carries a metal plate 115 and 215'. The guide member 115 and the plates 115 and 215' have registering openings 153 and 253 respectively and outwardly bent-up sets of flaps 154 and 254 (see FIG. 3). The sets of flaps 154 and 254 form mouth pieces adapted to enter the mouths of the boxes 113 and 213 for guiding cigarettes 15.1 and 251 from the positioning devices 114 into the boxes 113 and 213. The guide member 115 lies between the positioning devices 114 and the cigarette boxes i113 and 213 and partly bridges the gaps between said positioning devices and said boxes.

The pushing members 111 and 211 have head portions 116 and 216 respectively which move through the positioning devices 114 and 214 respectively, the openings 153 and 253 of the guide member 115 and the mouth pieces carried thereby. The head portions 116 and 216 are connected to web portions 117 and 217 which are arranged and adapted to pass through slots 155 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) in the bottom of each positioning device 114 and through further slots 156 and 256 in the guide member 115, the plates 1115' and 215' and the bottom flaps 154 and 254. The web portions 117 and 217 connect the head portions [116 and 216 to a common traverse 121 mounted on a slide 122 movably disposed on a guide rod 123 arranged on a 'pivotally mounted carriage 124 which is pivotable about a pivot shaft 125.

The guide member 115 carrying the plates 115' and 215 is displaceably mounted on two parallel guide rods 161 by means of guide sleeves 162. The guide rods 161 are mounted on uprights 163 and 164 of the carriage 124.

An actuating mechanism comprises two cams 141 and 142 keyed to an operating shaft 165 mounted in bearings 165' of a frame 166 and rotatable from a drive (not shown) through a gear 167. The cams 141 and 142 are engaged by cam follower rollers 137 and 138 acting through arms 139 and 140 on a lever shaft 157 for oscillating the same. The lever shaft 157, by means of an arm 168, acts on the carriage 124 to pivot the same about the pivot shaft 125, whereby the guide member 115 is lowered and raised.

On the operating shaft 165 is further mounted a disc 158 carrying a stud 159 acting on a slide 160 displaceable' in a guide slot 169 of a lever 170 mounted on a pivot shaft 171 held in bearings 172 of the frame 166. The lever 170 acts through an arm 173 on the slide 122 to displace the same along the guide rod 123 and thereby to displace the pushing members 111 and 211.

On a further operating shaft 178 rotatably mounted on the frame 166, two cams 174 and 175 are provided which co-operate with cam follower rollers 176 and 177, the shaft .178 being rotatable from the drive through a gear 181 which operates in synchronisrn with the gear 167. The cam follower rollers 176 and 177 act on a bar 182 pivoted at one of its ends to the guide member and at its other end to a lever arm 183 fixed to lever arms 184 and 185 carrying the cam follower rollers 176 and 177.

The arrangement of FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 operates as follows:

On rotation of the cams @141, 142 and 174, and of the disc 158, the slide 122 is moved by the disc 158 along the guide rod 123 from the position shown in FIG. 3 into the position shown in FIG. 4 and subsequently into the position shown in FIG. 5. The cams 141 and 142 at first keep the carriage 124 at substan tially the same level (see FIGS. 3 and 4) and subsequently tilt the carriage 124 so that its end carrying the guide member 115 is lowered as shown in FIG. 5. The cams 174 and 175 move the .guide member 115 from the position shown in FIG. 3 into the position shown in FIG. 4, and subsequently into the position shown in FIG. 5.

In the position of FIG. 3, the head portions 116 and 216 of the pushing members 111 and 211 are ready to push a block of cigarettes 151 (and a corresponding block of cigarettes 251 shown in FIG. 4 but not in FIG. 3) out of the positioning device 114 through the openings 153 and 253 of the guide member 115 into the boxes 113 and 213. Substantially simultaneously with the pushing members 111 and 211, the guide member 115 is moved towards the boxes 113 and 213 so that the mouth pieces formed by the flaps 154 and 254 enter the mouths of the boxes 113 and 213, whereupon the pushing members 111 and 211 push the blocks of cigarettes 151 and 251 into the boxes 113 and 213 (see FIG. 4). The mouth pieces of the guide member 114 are then withdrawn from the boxes 113 and 213, whereupon the guide member 115 and the pushing members 111 and 211 together move downwards and further away from the boxes 113 and 213 (see FIG. 5). Subsequently, the pushing members 111 and 211 are retracted from the guide member 115 to the position shown in FIG. 5 and are lifted to their upper level while the guide member 115 is likewise lifted, so that the original position shown in FIG. 3 is reached. The filled cigarette boxes 113 and 213 are removed and replaced by empty boxes by the turrets 152 in any known manner.

It will be appreciated that with both of the arrangements described, each pushing member travels through a closed path having two levels. After the cigarettes to be packed have been pushed through the respective guide plate, the samemoves together with the pushing member from one of said levels to the other. Only after said other level has been reached are the pushing members retracted from the respective guide plates of the guide member; finally the pushing members and the guide memher return to said one level and are ready for a next cycle of operation. With these arrangements the return strokes of the pushing members need not be deferred until they have cleared the guide member. Again, it is not necessary to provide a large opening avoided for allowing the pushing members to move clear of the guide member.

While in the first embodiment the guide member 15 bridges the gap between the positioning device 14 and the cell 13, in the second embodiment the guide member 115 merely bridges a part of such gap, but moves towards and away from the cigarette boxes 113 and 213 to ensure a smooth transition of cigarettes from each positioning device 114 to the respective boxes 113 and 213.

It should be clearly undedood that the embodiments described are given by way of example. Many modifications, omissions and additions are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A cigarette feeding arrangement comprising a member for guiding a group of cigarettes, a member for pushing said group of cigarettes through said guiding member, said pushing member being movable in a closed path having a first part, a second part and a connecting part joining said first part to said second part, first means for moving said pushing member along said first part during its working stroke and along said connecting part and said second part during its return stroke, second means for moving said guiding member along said connecting part, and means for coordinating the operation of said first and second moving means for moving said pushing member and said guiding member jointly along said connecting part.

2. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein said pushing member comprises a head portion for pushing said group of cigarettes through said guiding member, a web portion, and a mounting portion connected by said web portion to said head portion, and wherein said first moving means include a guide rod, a slide movably arranged on said guide rod, said mounting portion being carried by said slide, and means for reciprocating said slide along said guide rod.

3. An arrangement as defined in claim 2, wherein said second moving means include a carriage, said guide rod and said guiding member being carried by said carriage, and means for displacing at least a portion of said carriage in the general direction of said connecting part.

4. An arrangement as defined in claim 3, wherein said second moving means further include an auxiliary guide rod mounted on said carriage, a guide sleeve displaceably mounted on said auxiliary guide rod, said guiding member being attached to said guide sleeve, and means for displacing said guiding member and said guide sleeve along said guide rod.

5. An arrangement as defined in claim 4, and further comprising a positioning device, said pushing member being arranged for pushing said group of cigarettes from said positioning device through said guiding member, said guiding member being arranged for bridging only a part of a space between said positioning member and a cigarette receiving means.

6. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, and further comprising a positioning device, said pushing member being arranged for pushing said group of cigarettes from said positioning device through said guiding member.

7. An arrangement as defined in claim 6, wherein said guiding member is arranged for substantially bridging a space between said positioning member and a cigarette receiving means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,360,573 11/1920 Palmowski 53148 2,193,918 3/1940 Chalmers et al. 221-93 X 2,942,757 6/1960 Pollmann 221-68 2,971,677 2/1961 Ardell 221262 X SAMUEL Fv COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH N. LEIMER, EVON C. BLUNK,

Examiners. R. E. AEGERTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CIGARETTE FEEDING ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING A MEMBER FOR GUIDING A GROUP OF CIGARETTES, A MEMBER FOR PUSHING SAID GROUP OF CIGARETTES THROUGH SAID GUIDING MEMBER, SAID PUSHING MEMBER BEING MOVABLE IN A CLOSED PATH HAVING A FIRST PART, A SECOND PART AND A CONNECTING PART JOINING SAID FIRST PART TO SAID SECOND PART, FIRST MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PUSHING MEMBER ALONG SAID FIRST PART DURING ITS WORKING STROKE AND ALONG SAID CONNECTING PART AND SAID SECOND PART DURING ITS RETURN STROKE, SECOND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID GUIDING MEMBER ALONG SAID CONNECTING PART, AND MEANS FOR COORDINATING THE OPERATION OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MOVING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PUSHING MEMBER AND SAID GUIDING MEMBER JOINTLY ALONG SAID CONNECTING PART. 